By Melanie Gisler, DO
While many things contribute to depression and anxiety, often people suffering from these illnesses have an imbalance of brain chemistry. Standard western medical treatment usually includes medications which boost one of these chemicals, serotonin. Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro and Zoloft are all examples of medications that boost Serotonin. However, the brain is not the only place this important neurotransmitter is produced. We now know that more serotonin is produced in our intestines than in our brains. Yes, there is a huge nervous system in our gut.
When our intestines are inflamed or damaged from the toxins in our food, water, air and the environment, our natural production of serotonin is reduced. Low serotonin causes symptoms of depression and anxiety. The Akasha Cleanse helps restore the integrity and health of the intestine allowing it to keep the levels of serotonin levels in a healthy balance. This leads to an improvement in anxiety, depression, sadness and mental fog. Often with the help of their physician, patients who have been on antidepressant medications are able to decrease their dose of medication or wean off of them completely after completing a cleanse.
It is no coincidence that cleansing has been advocated for thousands of years by spiritual and religious figures for mental clarity and spiritual attunement. In addition to physically clearing out toxicity, cleansing of our minds of negative thought patterns and long-held resentments is essential for optimal health. Emotional detoxification helps us to uncover and express feelings of frustration, anger, fear and resentment and replace them with forgiveness, compassion, joy, hope and love.
In my practice as an osteopathic physician and as an anthroposophic (which translates into “wisdom of men”) practitioner in training, I see patients struggling with the question of who they, their purpose in life and why they are not living their lives to the fullest. Anthroposophic medicine readily addresses these questions. Anthroposophic medicine remedies, for instance are used to stimulate the patient’’s innate self-healing potential and to realign the connection to the soul. That is, the understanding of who the individual and his or her anxiety and/or depression are and how they connect to the individual’s essence and his/her life story are essential to successfully diagnose and treat it.
At our Center, as in anthroposophical medicine, we believe that understanding who we are and our connection to the whole person is key to successfully treating anxiety and depression. We work with patients to help them achieve the full benefits of physical and emotional cleansing. With this approach, with Akasha’s cleanse in combination with the anthroposophic, osteopathic and our other integrative modalities, many people not only feel better physically, but they feel less depressed and anxious and experience more compassion, clarity and newfound meaningful purpose in their lives.
